New York Jets and American Heart Association to Inspire Nearly 350 Morris County Sixth Graders

The New York Jets and American Heart Association team up to battle childhood obesity at the kickoff of the Jets Play 60 Challenge in select Madison, Florham Park and New Vernon schools. The Jets PLAY 60 Challenge is a four-week long program created by the NFL and American Heart Association that encourages students to participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. This program allows students to track their exercise and progress in fun and engaging ways. The Jets and American Heart Association will also implement the Jets PLAY 60 Challenge at Chatham and Summit Middle Schools, reaching an additional 625 students during the spring.

A student assembly will kick off the Jets PLAY 60 Challenge with comments from Jets players Terrence Brooks, Juston Burris and Doug Middleton on the importance of physical activity and eating healthy. Along with giveaways, an announcement will be made that students who complete the four-week challenge will be entered to win a visit to the Jets facility for a Play 60 program and a chance to lead the team on to the field at a 2018 New York Jets game, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Today, about one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are

also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. Excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood.

Studies have proven that physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. That’s why the National Football League and the American Heart Association have teamed up to create the NFL PLAY 60 Challenge, a program that inspires kids to get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day in school and at home. It also helps schools become places that encourage physically active lifestyles year-round. For more information on the NFL PLAY 60 program, visit www.heart.org/nflplay60challenge.